Trailer hitch



H. F. SCHULTZ 2,381,841

TRAILER. "HITCH Filed July 21, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Invpntor ceeding description and claim erence to the drawings accompanying and form- Referring to the rectangular shape'in with the exception of a rearwardly and downwardly curving solid rear end 3 having atrans-- atented Aug. 7, 19 45 Myinvention relatesto" improvements in trailer hitches, the pfimary'object in view being to'projvide 'a sim'ply constructed, inexpensive device, of few parts; for easily "and-quicklycoupling the eratrwngueor a wa on, or other farm'imple'ment, a tractor, and which provides for uncoupling the trailing vehicle from the tractorby the o operator'of the tractor whileheis operating the me-H. Other and subordinate objects are also comprehended by my invention, all of which, to-

the precise nature of my improveunderstood when the sucare read with refgether with ments, willbe readily ing part of this specification.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of my improved trailer hitch, in its preferred embodiment, with the parts shown in coupling relation,

Figure 2 is a view in top plan, I Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure l illustrating the parts in uncoupling relation,

Figurel is a view in transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure l, e Figure 5 is a view in front end elevation of the draft tongue. I

drawings by numerals, according to my invention, as illustrated, a draw bar member I for attachment to the usual draw bar of a tractor, or which may constitute the draft tongue 2 for attachment to a, trailing vehicle, or implement, such 7, as a farm wagon or form of tractor and trailing vehicle, or implement, being immaterial to the invention, neither has been illustrated in the drawings.

The draw bar member I is of elongated form, cross section, and hollow,

actual-draw bar, and a versely flat upper cam face 4 curving gradually forwardly and upwardly v the bottom of the main portion of said member to the top of said ortion. An opening 5 is provided in the top of the member I in front of the cam face 4,;and a pair of opposed downwardly extendingz slots '6 in the side I of the member and which'are of inverted keyhole form and located between the front end of the cam face 4 and the front edge 8 of the opening 5. The sides 1 of the member I are extended above the top of the member to provide a pair of opposed upstanding stop lugs 9 having rear vertical abutagricultural implement. The

. P TENT ,0 lil -"1 61; 2,381,841 I I g frames nrrcn New L tm i, I v p Q 7' I I .,Application July 21, 1944, Serial No. 545,95 I I v J I I I 280 -3315 I I I ment faces I0 vertically aligned with the fro nt edges of the slots 6. The'draw bar memb'erI is provided with a lever II for uncoupling the hitch, and which comprises a hooked front fend I2 pivoted within the draw bar member I by means of a transverse pin the sides 1 of said memberya long lever arm and rearwardlyabout the pivot mal position I3 normally extending rearwardly and upwardly out of the opening 5, a short lever arm I4 having a curved uppercamming edgeIB, and a rearwardly opening notch I6 between said arms. A coil spring I1 having one end attached to the short lever arm I4, as at I8, and its opposite end attached to a cross pin I9 in the draw bar memher I yieldingly urges the lever II downwardly I I3 into a normal position in which the long lever arm I3 abuts the thus establishing the normal position of said lever I I.

of the lever II, the notch I6 is horizontally aligned with the lower ends of the slots 6. A pull cable 20 is suitably attached to the lon lever arm-I3 of the lever II to be extended forwardly and for exerting pull on said lever II to swing the same upwardly and forwardly about the pin I3.

The draft tongue 2 is bifurcated to provide a pair of laterally spaced, forwardly extending, side cheek plates 2| adapted to straddle the draw bar.

from a point well below the cheek plates tions the mouth of the notch member I and, having flaring front ends 22 for facilitating entering said draw bar member be- A cross pin 23 extends between 2| adjacent said ends 22 thereof and, in the coupled relation of the parts extends through the slots 6"of the draw bar member I, and the notch I6 of the lever I I, said pin 23 seating in the lowerends of said slots 6.

Referring now to the operation of the described hitch, in coupling the hitch, the draw bar memtween said plates.

ber I is backed, by means of the tractor, in between the cheek plates 2| of the draft tongue 2 to engage the cross pin 23 with the cam face 4 which, under continued backing of said draw bar cams said pin, together with the tongue 2, upwardly until said pin engages the rear edge of the lever arm I3 of the lever I I. From this point, along the top of the draw bar of the stop lugs 9 and by sliding engagement with the rear edge of the lever arm I3 swings the lever II forwardly and upwardly, in opposition to the spring I'I. *Such movement of said lever II posi- IB above the top of said member-I so that the cross pin 23 enters said notch as said pin reaches a posi ion of vertical I3 extending between In the norlower ends of said slots.

alignment with the slots 6. At this point, backing of the draw bar member I having been stopped, the spring 11 acts to swing the lever I I back into normal position, the notch l6 camming the cross pin 23 down into the slots 6 to seat upon the Obviously, if the cross pin 23 has not been jammed against the abutment faces It), said pin will tend to drop into the slots 6 under the influence of gravity. However, in case said pin 23 binds against saidgfaces 10, the described operation of the lever ;l l is of'particular advantage in positively forcing said pin down into the slots '6. As will be seen, in th normal posi tion of the lever ll, said lever also functions to yieldingly lock the cross pin 23 in the slots 5 against upward movement out of the same. To uncouple the described hitch, it ismerely' necessary to exert sufficient to swing the lever shown in Figure 3, M to cam the cross pin 23 ,upwardlyout of the slots 5, as shown in said figure, so that the draw bar member 4 may be betweenthe-cheek plates 2|. I g t t The foregoing will, it is believed, sufiice to im- H upwardly, into the position part a clear understanding of my invention with outiurther explanation. ,Manifestly, 'the invention, as described, is suse ceptible of modification without departing from th inventive concept, and rightis herein reserved to cause the short lever arm pull on the pull cable 20 v,

pulled forwardly out from to such modifications as fall within the scop of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a hitch of the class described, a draft tongue having a bifurcatedfront end provided with a cross pin therein, adraw bar member adapted to be backed into said front end of the draft tongue, said bar being hollow and provided with a pair of side slots therein of inverted keyhole form havingupper ends openat the top of said bar and into which said pin is adapted: to enter to interlocksaid tongue with saidbar, said bar having an upwardly and forwardly curving rear end for engagement with said pin to cam the pin upwardly onto the top of said bar and position the same over said upper ends of the slots when said tongue is backed, and means to yieldingly restrain said pin against upward movement out of said slots, comprising a spring-tensioned lever extendingout of said bar for operation thereof in opposite directions .and having a rearwardly opening fork-ed end pivoted. within said'barand adapted to straddle said pin, said end being constructed and arranged to cam said pin into and out of said slots under movement of the lever inopposite directions, respectively, said slots having front stop-forming edges above the top of said bar for engagement bysaid pin to locate the same over the upper ends of said slots.

1 -HENRYF. SCHULTZ. 

